I have always considered the world of Television Entertainment a huge wasteland with the occasional islands of value. It has never exceeded that expectation for me.
It is not that I don’t watch it, I do. Many times I am left wondering why.
I remember “Pay TV” when it was first promoted was to be the saving relief from advertising. I’ll bet, at least for anyone who has the capability of reading this, the really “free” over the air TV is long gone. As a kid we had three stations, two on VHF and one on UHF. Those are terms for radio frequency bands, probably unknown by most viewers today.
Today our Pay TV cables and satellites are so chock full of 5th grade level advertising, it is sometimes hard to find the program. The channel 13’s of this video medium are so packed with sponsors, it takes 5 minutes to run the credits at both ends.
The new definition of Pay TV is now called “The Premium Channels” and there is additional charge.
I tend to watch the new breed non-technical house flipping and homebuilding programs, mostly to criticize the extremely poor quality construction, especially the plywood made furniture produced in a tent in the back yard and <gag> painted. Where is Norm Abrams when we need him? I raise a big shiny star for Holmes on Homes. Canada TV has some value.
TV now has so much “bad science”, ghost hunting, phony monster hunting, and aliens from outer space that we are sending a very poor learning experience to developing minds. They are going to think this crap is real. I have to ask, WHY!! Entertainment?? What happened to “Watch Mr. Wizard?” Ops, a little dated, maybe “Bill Nye, the Science Guy…” is more current.
Dysfunctional sex situation comedies (sitcoms) and laugh track overkill are currently at an all time worse. There is no real humor in any of it. They are so pathetic it hurts my brain to just surf past them.
For entertainment value, TV is glorifying street & prison gangs and motorcycle one percenters like they are heroes, at least within their own sub culture. Gangsters (mobsters?) are no longer Italian, chased by Eliot Ness.
The producers must justify the exploitation I think, because people watch it …and watching exposes products to customers …and advertising pays the bills. There is no concern how it affects U.S. prime culture. To me there is a difference between a onetime report and 20 times a week continuous syndication of the underbelly of society.
I acknowledge it exists, and do watch the shows occasionally. But I do not consider they have any continuous entertainment value for non adults. My entertainment (if it can be called that) is my constant criticism of what I see. Gloria says, “Why do you watch that cr*p?” …There is no good answer to that question.
I know there is an o.n.o.f.f. button on the remote and all I have to do it push it. I really need to do that more to the OFF side. Actually I do, but not enough. Thank goodness for my machine workshop where I can actually be creative within myself and not become a mush brain vegetable (potato) dying from an overdose of video box entertainment crop rot.
Now where did I put that metric caliper… ?
The only thing you left out was the phrase that I remember—that television programming was to have “redeeming social value”. I live about thirty miles southeast of Pittsburgh, PA and as a very young boy (and fortunate, ’cause we had a TV) I remember that if I jostled the antenna just right in the early morning hours, I could bring in WJAC-Johnstown,PA (DX-ing?). I’m talking mid-fifties—and my favorite program was called “The Big Picture” The Pittsburgh stations didn’t have it! Ah, the good old days.
Ed
Hi Ed,
Yeah, the old Army newsreels right?
I used to live 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, PA. in Youngstown, OH. You must be near Kenneywood Park. ~ Dan’l